Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 8
Cincinnati Ohio
4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
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Cincinnati
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Eastern Michigan
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Photo by: EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka
Nine-Run Fourth Inning Gives Eagles 10-4 Win Over Cincinnati
3/8/2013 7:05:00 PM | Baseball
EMU sends 13 batters to the plate in nine-run, eight-hit fourth
CINCINNATI, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) — In its first game against the University of Cincinnati in 30 years, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team exploded for a nine-run fourth inning en route to a 10-4 win at Marge Schott Stadium Friday, March 8. Seven Eagles (4-9) posted at least one RBI and Neil Butara won for a second straight start.
Cincinnati (4-6) held a 2-1 lead until EMU sent 13 men to the plate and scored nine runs on eight hits in the fourth. The home squad came back with a pair in the bottom of that inning, but strong relief work from Devon Bronson ensured that Butara evened his season record at 2-2.
Two freshmen, Mitchell McGeein (2-for-4) and Nick Rotola (2-for-3) put together their first-career multi-hit outings, with each scoring a run and McGeein earning an RBI. Adam Sonabend notched his first home run as an Eagle and Daniel Russell (1-for-5) and Sam Ott (2-for-4) recorded two RBI apiece.
Butara pitched five innings while allowing four runs on four hits. He struck out four and walked a trio of Bearcats' hitters. Bronson posted his best outing of the young season Friday, tossing three scoreless innings while fanning two. Taylor Dimmerling also pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
Seven different UC players tallied at least one base hit, but Taylor Schmidt (2-for-4) was the only one with two. On the mound, starter Andrew Strenge (1-3) was touched up for five runs on four hits, while reliever Thomas Gentile bared the brunt of EMU's fourth-inning attack. Gentile allowed five runs and five hits in just 0.1 innings.
The Bearcats got on the board first with a pair of runs in the opening inning. Butara walked Forrest Perron and Justin Glass. Ian Happ then drove in Perron with a single up the middle and Jeff Murray knocked in Glass on a groundout.
Sonabend went yard with one down in the second to halve the UC lead to 2-1. Except for a single and a walk in the second and third, Butara kept the basepaths clean and set the Eagles up to take the lead.
In the fourth, the Green and White batted around before the first out was made. The scoring began when Jamie Simpson plated Ott on an RBI single. John Rubino then reached on an error by the UC shortstop and drove in Sonabend and Lee Longo on the play. McGeein singled to left to score Simpson and a Russell two-RBI double followed to plate McGeein and Rubino.
Finally, Ott brought Rotola home on yet another single and Longo used a sacrifice fly to get Russell across for the ninth run of the inning and a 10-2 EMU lead.
UC tried to get itself back in the game in the bottom of the fourth as Schmidt smashed an RBI triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the Eagles' lead to 10-4. EMU was in no danger of surrendering its lead throughout the remainder of the game, as Butra sent the Bearcats down in order in the fifth and the bullpen allowed just two runners into scoring position over the last four innings.
The middle game of this three-game series takes place Saturday, March 9, beginning at 1 p.m.
Cincinnati (4-6) held a 2-1 lead until EMU sent 13 men to the plate and scored nine runs on eight hits in the fourth. The home squad came back with a pair in the bottom of that inning, but strong relief work from Devon Bronson ensured that Butara evened his season record at 2-2.
Two freshmen, Mitchell McGeein (2-for-4) and Nick Rotola (2-for-3) put together their first-career multi-hit outings, with each scoring a run and McGeein earning an RBI. Adam Sonabend notched his first home run as an Eagle and Daniel Russell (1-for-5) and Sam Ott (2-for-4) recorded two RBI apiece.
Butara pitched five innings while allowing four runs on four hits. He struck out four and walked a trio of Bearcats' hitters. Bronson posted his best outing of the young season Friday, tossing three scoreless innings while fanning two. Taylor Dimmerling also pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
Seven different UC players tallied at least one base hit, but Taylor Schmidt (2-for-4) was the only one with two. On the mound, starter Andrew Strenge (1-3) was touched up for five runs on four hits, while reliever Thomas Gentile bared the brunt of EMU's fourth-inning attack. Gentile allowed five runs and five hits in just 0.1 innings.
The Bearcats got on the board first with a pair of runs in the opening inning. Butara walked Forrest Perron and Justin Glass. Ian Happ then drove in Perron with a single up the middle and Jeff Murray knocked in Glass on a groundout.
Sonabend went yard with one down in the second to halve the UC lead to 2-1. Except for a single and a walk in the second and third, Butara kept the basepaths clean and set the Eagles up to take the lead.
In the fourth, the Green and White batted around before the first out was made. The scoring began when Jamie Simpson plated Ott on an RBI single. John Rubino then reached on an error by the UC shortstop and drove in Sonabend and Lee Longo on the play. McGeein singled to left to score Simpson and a Russell two-RBI double followed to plate McGeein and Rubino.
Finally, Ott brought Rotola home on yet another single and Longo used a sacrifice fly to get Russell across for the ninth run of the inning and a 10-2 EMU lead.
UC tried to get itself back in the game in the bottom of the fourth as Schmidt smashed an RBI triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the Eagles' lead to 10-4. EMU was in no danger of surrendering its lead throughout the remainder of the game, as Butra sent the Bearcats down in order in the fifth and the bullpen allowed just two runners into scoring position over the last four innings.
The middle game of this three-game series takes place Saturday, March 9, beginning at 1 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Butara, Neil (2-2)
L: STRENGE (1-3)
Batting:
2B: Russell, Daniel 1 ; Ott, Sam 1
HR: Sonabend, Adam 1
RBI: Russell, Daniel 2 ; Ott, Sam 2 ; Longo, Lee 1 ; Sonabend, Adam 1 ; Simpson, Jamie 1 ; Rubino, John 1 ; McGeein, Mitchell 1
SF: Longo, Lee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Russell, Daniel 1 ; Bowden, Dae 1 ; Ott, Sam 1 ; Longo, Lee 1 ; Sonabend, Adam 2 ; Simpson, Jamie 1 ; Rubino, John 1 ; McGeein, Mitchell 1 ; Rotola, Nick 1
CS: Rotola, Nick 1
HBP: Bowden, Dae 1 ; Rotola, Nick 1
PO: Ott, Sam 1
Batting:
3B: SCHMIDT 1
RBI: HAPP 1 ; MURRAY, J 1 ; SCHMIDT 1 ; HAWK 1
SF: HAWK 1
Base Running:
RUNS: PERRON 1 ; GLASS 1 ; WALLACE 1 ; SCHMIDT 1
SB: HAPP 1
HBP: WENZEL 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
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